Rolling mill



& 3g R. 13. NYE 1'880468 ROLLING MILL Filed Oct. 1, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I N VEN TOR.

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A TTORNEYS:

Oct. 4, 1932. AR. D, NYE 1,880,468

ROLLING MILL I Filed 001;. 1, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 g Q INVENTOR.

Patented Oct. 4, 1 932 UNITED. STA

FF ICE FOUNDRY DIVISION OF THE CONTINENTAL ROLL & STEEL FOUNDRY COMPANY, WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE ROLLING MILL Application filed October 1,

The primary object of the invention is the provision of the improved drive for vertical rollingmills. p r

A further object of theinvention is the provision of an improved drive gear unit for vertical rolling mills wherein two drive motors are utilized and provision is made for synchronizing the drives of said motors.

Other specific features of'the improvement, novel features of construction and'improved results of the invention will appear from the following description and accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation showing the general arrangement of a mill having applied thereto my improved driving unit, a portion of the figure being broken away and shown in vertical section.

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through the gears of the driving unit.

Referring now to the drawings and designating therein similar parts by similar reference numerals throughout the description, A and B designate two electric motors for driving the shafts 3 and 4: which shafts at their ends adjacent the motors are supported in suitable bearings 5 and 6. At their ends remote from the motors these shafts are con- I nected by suitable couplings 7 and 8 to the stub-shafts '9 and 10, which are rotatably supported in tapered roller bearings 11 and o 12, in the ends of the gear housing 0, which housing is made up of a main portion 14 and a cover 13 supported upon an elevated portion 15 of a base D which is also a common support for the motors A and B.

Referring now particularlyto Fig. 2 of the drawings, it will be seen that there are two vertically arranged shafts 16 and 17 within the housing C arranged therein in spaced parallel relation with their lower ends 18 and 19 supported upon tapered .roller bearings 20 and 21 supported in removable cap-like housings 20 and 21 arranged in 1930. Serial No. 485,745.

the inner face of the bottom 14 of the gear shaft 9. Adjacent its lower end the shaft 17 carries agear 24 which meshes with a gear 25 carried by the inner end of the shaft 10. Adjacent their upper ends, but still within the gear housing, 17 carry what I have termed synchronizing gears 26 and- 27 ,theteeth of which mesh in the space between the shafts.

The upperends of the V extend outwardly through the top ofthe gear housing andfihave squared ends 28 and 29. Adjacent their upper ends these shafts are kept in alignment within the housing by the tapered roller bearings 30 and 31'.

3 Referring now to Fig. 1 0f the drawings, wherein the mill arrangement is illustrated as an entirety by E, it will be seen thatthe upper ends 28 and 29. of the vertical shafts 16 and 17' have a driving connection with thevertical --mill rolls through suitable vertical drive connectors 32 and 33. The mill rolls these ends are applied squared downwardly extending collars 35, while to the squared ends 28 and 29 of the vertical shafts 16 and 17 are applied upwardly extending driving collars 36 and'37. The mill roller drive connectors 32 are provided with squared ends as clearly indicated at 38, which fit into and have driving connection with the eXtendin, ends of the angular collars 35, 36 and 37.

This arrangement makes it possible to drive the mill rolls even though they be out of vertical alignment with the vertical shafts 16 and 17, as clearly indicated in Fig. 1 of the'drawings.

It is intended that the drive motors A and Bbe driven or operated in such a manner as to maintain as nearly as possible an identical speed in each motor, but in the eventthe two motors do not haveexactly the same speed the synchronizing gears 26 and 27 will insure that the mill rolls are driven at similar speeds. These synchronizing gears 26 and 27 will maintain a positive speed relation between gear 22, which meshes with r a gear 23 carried by the inner'end of the shafts 16 and'17 have squared ends 34' and to i are place by caps the vertical shafts 16 and 17 and hence a similar drive speed of the mill rolls.

These synchronizing gears of the drive unit will further insure an equal division of the total load upon the drive motors A and B.

By; reason of the synchronizing gearslit will be seen further that the vertical "drive shafts 16 and 17 are mechanically interlocked with the result that either'one or both drive -motors may be used in the ;operation of the 3 ll r ege a ha s s :-harieg1d. i

mill as desired or required. is

The drive arrangement has the further advantage of a maximum compactnessoffthe drive equipment and due to the mechanical construction of the drivelu'riity-it is contained within a relatively small gear housing.

"It will be, of course, understood that the drive gears of the unit will rotate in'the housing'in a suit'ablelubricant. I

" llhe arrangement furthermore reduces ma- ..terially the height of a vertical rolling mill,

thusfpermitting a reduction ofhead room in the. factory or pl'acewhere' the mill' is installed.

"The tapered roller bearingsll and 12 make "it possible to maintain the proper adjustment 'betW'een the gears 22 and 23 and the gears 24' and 25 for the reason that these bearings and the gears carried'by the shafts 9 and 1O can be forced or movedinwardly. The structure'makingthis possible is that each bearing'is' held in place byan elongated collar 4L0 slidable ,within the tubular portions 41 of "thegea'r housing. These c'ollars.are attached to capsAQ by-bo1ts43' and the caps inf turn 'are fasten'ed to the ends of the. tubular'portiOI S of'the housing by bolts 44. Thus'it will .be seen'jnby*the placement of or removal of Jshims such as illustratedat the bearings-and gears can be had; 7

' The cover 13 of the gear housing is bolted in; place as indicated at lfi. The tapered "roller bearings 30" Lnd.,31 inthel housing cover at the point -where the -vertic'al shafts 16fand 17 pass through-the coverare .held in 47 bolted as; at 48 to the vcover. 1 This construction makes it possible to adjust these bearings and shims 49 are provided fwhich shims-can be removed or reduced in thickness as the bearings wear so, as to permlt adjustment of them.

The adjustment ofthe tapered roller .bearings 20 andQ21which are supported inthe cap-like housings'QO and 21- is i provision oflshims 50 positioned between the housing bottom and the caps. ,By reducing g the thickness of or completely. removing doors-are so positionedthat by opening them jthegear'sj22,andf23 andfthe gears 2 i and25 15 adjustment of I allel relation; 'each torshaving an e said housing and carrying -there n a'drrye had by the scribed. a r

drive .unit for. vertical rolling mills are visible for inspection and during the time adjustment is made of them as wear in the gears or bearings may necessitate.

Having thus described my invention'what T claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

' 1."In combination with a'vertical rolling mill;'-a" drive for the mill rolls comprising independent- .--dri-ve motors for; each roll, 1; a

gear houslng;having therein: a;pair pfvyerticonnection with a mill roll, one of said shafts =1 ibeing driven by one drive motor and the other drive speeds of the shafts and themill rolls.

In combination'with a a m s-11m min; a driveunit comprising a' hous ingpo sitionedbeneath the mill and having therein a pair of vertically disposed shafts thepupper; ends-of which'have driving connection .with

rolls in said mill, the lower endsofzs'aid shafts rotatably supported in bearings in the" bottom of said-housing, a pa r. of independent drive motors having. independent elongated I shafts extending into. the opposite ends" of said housing and each-having geared connection with one of said vertical 'jshafts, 'and means within said housing "comprising'intermeshing gears fixed to said vertical shafts T 'forpositiv'ely synchr'onizingthe'speed of said vertical shafts and the drive speed of said mill rolls.

In combination with a pvertical rollin *mill. an improved drive u'nitfor the roll thereof, compri 'ng a gearhousingpositioned beneath said mill, a pair of vertictillyi'disposed shafts in-s'aid housing in separated-parof said shafts having a drive iconnection with a =1ni1l roll apair of Ys independent drive motors, each-of said, inoongated-shaift extending-into gear the-drive gear of onegmoton meshing 'sai d 'vertic ally disposed (shafts-and one end of the other vertic allyl'disposedshaft, 'ffll'ld .said vertically disposed shaftsuhayingw positiveydriving connection-with onenanother,

. whereby the speed of said 'yertical shafts. are

positively synchronized, for; the pur-poseide- .41.. comprising a housinghaving. mounted therein non. tapered-gbearmgs; a pair. of yertical pair .of horizontally disposed drivemshafts mounted in saidhousing .on t ap ered bearings,

driving connection .betweenlthe driven shafts and the ertical Qshafts, and means to adjust said be r ng -to t k .up ny w a ithe eof- A improvedfl 11 1.1 1

fort a "vertical rolling mill, comprising a housing, vertically disposed shafts in said housing having driving connection with the rolls of the mill, horizontally disposed driven shafts in said housing for driving said vertical shafts, all of the shafts within said housing supported upon tapered roller bearings, and means to move said bearings longitudinally of said shafts for adjusting them for wear.

6. An improved drive unit for a rolling the compensation of mill comprising a pair of shafts arranged in end of the parallel shafts supported in roller bearings carried in movable caps positioned in the housing, means to move said caps longitudinally of the shafts for adjusting the bearings for the compensation of wear, said parallel shafts passing through the top of said housing and held in alignment therein by tapered roller bearings, and means to move said bearingslongitudinally of said shafts for the purpose of adjusting them for the compensation of wear.

7. In combination With a rolling mill, a drive for the mill rolls comprising independent drive motors for each roll, a pair of parallel shafts each having driving connection with a mill roll, one of said shafts being driven by one drive motor and the other shaft by the other drive motor, and gears fixed to said shafts and meshing with one another to positively synchronize the drive speeds of the shafts and the mill rolls.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aliix my signature.

- RALPH D. NYE. 

